College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Academics

The Michigan Ag Council named several MSU students and alumnae as Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT Ambassadors.

Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT Ambassadors serve one-year terms spent meeting with agricultural communities around the state and serve as influencers to support Michigan’s agriculture industries, engage with consumers on important issues in agriculture and gain knowledge and insight into Michigan’s diverse farming communities.

"The Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT Ambassadors are a vital part of the work the Ag Council does to build trust in farming among consumers. Each of our ambassadors are passionate about agriculture and enthusiastic to share that passion with everyone they meet,” said Noelle Nachreiner, Michigan Ag Council Executive Director. “From face-to-face engagement to blogs and social media posts, our ambassadors provide a wealth of knowledge about Michigan's diverse farming industry."

The current ambassadors are:

• Kassidy Acker, St. Louis, Mich.
• Carmen Beemer, Middleville, Mich.
• Carly Claucherty, Springport, Mich.
• Megan Grusczynski, Gaylord, Mich.
• Cora Okkema, Blanchard, Mich.
• Emma Woller, Montague, Mich.
• Zoey Zupin, Kentwood, Mich.

“This year's class of Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT Ambassadors represents a wide variety of backgrounds, from soils and crops, to livestock, and everything in between,” said Michael Ceja, Michigan Ag Council Outreach Specialist. “This year, we have seen this group of ambassadors utilize their unique perspectives to bridge more gaps between the public and our industry. All our ambassadors have brought high energy and open minds to their roles.”

Kassie Acker

Acker is fourth-year Spartan studying Agriculture, Food and Natural Resource Education with minors in Agribusiness Management and Environmental Studies and Sustainability. Acker was raised in Gratiot County and attended St. Louis High School.

Acker is a member of the MSU Agronomy Club, serves on the executive board for the MSU Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Education Club (AFNRE), and is involved with MSU Collegiate Farm Bureau.

“It is important for communities to understand how much farmers support us, so it is imperative that we support them. As ambassadors, we are not only representing the Michigan Ag Council, but the commodity groups that are involved. We assist in bringing awareness to the various farms around the state,” said Acker, who hopes to run an agriscience program at the middle or high school level and advise a local FFA chapter.

Acker was also named Michigan Sugar Queen this summer and will serve in that role for 2023-24.

Carmen Beemer

Beemer is a senior majoring in Horticulture Science with a minor in Crop and Soil Science. She is a student research assistant at MSU’s Potato Breeding and Genetics Program, the Public Relations executive board chair for Agronomy Club and c Member Coordinator.

Beemer was born and raised in Middleville, Michigan, and graduated from Thornapple Kellogg High School. She aspires to pursue a career as a Horticulture Crop Consultant.

“I have a deeply rooted passion for the agriculture industry that is the backbone of the US. I feel the ambassador program is important for the growers/farmers in the communities we support to draw attention to proper practices they use to produce clean healthy food for communities far and near,” said Beemer, who was additionally named the 2023-24 National Cherry Queen during the 2023 National Cherry Festival in Traverse City.

Carly Claucherty

Claucherty is a two-time graduate of MSU, receiving her undergraduate degree in 2020 as a member of the Honors College with a major in Crop & Soil Sciences and a minor in Horticulture. She also completed her master's degree in the same department with a focus in Weed Science in 2022, as an NSF IMPACTS fellow. She currently works as a Plant Health Inspector with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in southeast Michigan.

Claucherty graduated from Springport High School, where her involvement in the school’s FFA chapter sparked her career interests in agriculture. On MSU's campus, she served as student ambassador for Agriculture Future of America and helped promote their leadership development opportunities to students. She also participated in the RISE learning community, Pay it Forward Tour spring break service trips, and lived in Germany for 3 months last fall through the International Farm Youth Exchange Program.

Megan Grusczynski

Grusczynski is a senior from Gaylord, Michigan, majoring in Animal Science on the pre-veterinary track, with a minor in Agriculture Business Management. She is a graduate of St. Mary Cathedral School.

At MSU, Grusczynski is a member of the MSU Agronomy Club and former a member of the MSU Dairy Club and Block and Bridle Club. Last year, she worked at the MSU Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center. She serves as an undergraduate research assistant in the Contreras Laboratory at the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine. Her goal is to become a large animal veterinarian and eventually begin her own practice.      

“There is a substantial large animal veterinarian shortage in northern Michigan, and I hope to serve the rural communities by caring for their livestock,” Grusczynski said about her career plans. “My time as a Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT ambassador would help me tremendously in my future career as a large animal veterinarian, since I now have experience communicating with farmers about their products and understand how the animals that I would be treating as a future veterinarian would impact the Michigan food system.”

Cora Okkema

Okkema is a MSU Extension Dairy Educator from Blanchard, Michigan. She emigrated to the U.S. with her family from The Netherlands in Michigan and earned her bachelor’s degree in animal science from Dordt College in 2016 and completed a master’s degree in Livestock Behavior and Welfare at Colorado State University in 2022.

She has hands-on experience with farm expansion, managing large herds, facilitating team meetings and integrating new practices to improve labor efficiency and animal wellbeing.

“MSU Extension provided me a great opportunity to come home to serve my local community after attending graduate school out of state,” Okkema said. “I am involved in top-notch and thought-provoking dairy science research while kindling partnerships with farmers, farm managers and employees to all reach a common goal, ‘to make the best, better.’”

Emma Woller

Woller is a senior, majoring in Crop and Soil Science with a minor in Agribusiness. She grew up on her family’s diverse row crop and cattle farm in Montague, Michigan, and graduated from Montague High School. She is recruitment coordinator for Sigma Alpha Professional Sorority President of the MSU Agronomy Club and a member of the Block and Bridle Club.

Woller was also named National Asparagus Queen this summer and will serve in that role for 2023-24.

Woller’s farming background allowed her exposure to fruit trees, row crops and small vegetables, and she was excited that the Ambassador Program allows her to share her diverse agriculture experiences while also learning from growers across the state.

“As ambassadors, we host various events throughout the year. My favorite has been Down on Michigan Farm,” Woller said. “We held this event three times this summer where we brought in community members and social media influencers to a dinner right on a farm. They were able to have a tour of the working farm, do a few activities related with Michigan Agriculture such as building their own charcuterie board with Michigan beef and cheese, making caramel apples with Michigan Apples, and cocktails with vodka from Michigan Corn. These events were very important as everyone who came was able to learn something new about Michigan Agriculture and how diverse our state is.”

Zoey Zupin

Zupin is a senior from Kentwood, Michigan, and a graduate of Caledonia High School, who takes pride in her family’s strong agricultural roots in Michigan.

“My paternal grandparents were orchard managers and had a small farming operation in Onekama. My mother’s side of the family still operates a cattle operation in Delton. Additionally, both of my parents have worked for the Michigan Department of Agriculture as inspectors ensuring the safety of farmers and the food we consume. My life has been so impacted by these individuals that I want to share their stories to others to show how much agriculturists care for these communities,” Zupin said.

Zupin is a member of Sigma Alpha, AFNRE Club, MSU Dairy Club and Michigan Farm Bureau. During her time at MSU she stays busy working for MSU Extension as a Student Communication Assistant.